Ken Hutcherson, a Seattle area pastor whose biggest claim to fame is raging homophobia. He obtained national prominence in 2005 when he threatened to organize a boycott of Microsoft unless they withdrew support for an anti-discrimination bill. He has parlayed his "fame" into a career in anti-gay politics, and has been known to accuse gays of wanting to do things like eliminate God.

Rev Bill Owens, Founder & Chairman of Coalition of African American Pastors, who is a regular name on the anti-gay marriage front. He often accuses gay marriage proponents of hijacking the civil rights movement.

Alan Chambers, President, Exodus International and professional "ex-gay." Alan is one of the only nine or ten faces that are apparently credible enough to speak for this movement of "thousands," and he is trotted out regularly to serve as the "ex-gays" public image.

Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., Founder & Chairman of High Impact Leadership Coalition, Senior Pastor of Hope Christian Church, Washington, D.C. Jackson has taken on homosexuality in the black church as a pet issue, and has called on those churches to "purge gays."

Melissa Coffey, Exodus International Board Member, National Certified Counselor, and another professional "ex-gay"

So how is the religious right trying to spin this event? Well:

But here's the thing: Yes, Mr. Hutcherson, Blackwell, Owens, and Jackson are all, in fact, African-Americans. However, in terms of their fight against hate crimes legislation, they are not speaking for the African-American community; they are speaking for the anti-gay one! Identifying these two groups of people as "ex-gays" and "African-Americans" is completely duplicitous! Why aren't Ms. Coffey and Mr. Chambers speaking for "Caucasian-Americans"? Why aren't Hutherson, Jacson, et. al, speaking for the "Currently Hetero" community? Well, clearly it's because these kids want the "ex-gay" movement to look legitimate and the African-American community to look wholly gay-antipathetic. Both ideas are quite misleading.

It is unfair to paint these four African-American individuals' political, religious viewpoints as it they are speaking on behalf of their race, not their personal convictions. These are not prominent leaders in the African-American community at large; they are prominent leaders in the "pro-family"/ anti-gay subset! Today's press conference is not indicative of two different groups coming together to protect religious freedom, as they would have you believe. It's two groups of birds of the same gay-demonizing feather trying to keep the community that they dedicate their lives to decrying from receiving the protections they both need and deserve.

**This writer speaks on behalf of no community other than the one that is sick of the misleading bullsh*t that our opposition routinely peddles under the guise of morality.

Your thoughts

I'd like to ask FOF:

If Al Sharpton, Patti LaBelle, Ice-T & Oprah went there to support the Hate Crimes Bill, would they be representing the African-American Community?

Posted by: | Apr 17, 2007 4:04:49 PM

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